


It was a transparent world

by Nameha



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Fluff, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Implied/Referenced Abuse, KakaYama Week 2020, Kakashi has a crush, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24264325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nameha/pseuds/Nameha
Summary: Kakashi, a melancholy teen with strange dreams, meets Yamato on the first day of summer vacation. The chance encounter turns his world upside down.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	It was a transparent world

**Author's Note:**

> T-This got out of control! Ha! I'm, once again, excited to be writing for Kakayama week!

Another sunset burns is way past the horizon and with it goes Kakashi's sense of purpose. Another day, another waste. 

His hands shoved deep in his pockets, his bike forgotten on the side of the house. He shudders at the thought of a life that’s meaningless.

Sunlight glaring off the metal against the backdrop of chipping paint. He stands on the porch. Bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder. The windmill in the field turns lazily in the distance, among the sea of bowing wheat. Lite up like an ocean on fire, all gold and red.

He sighs and turns to the door. The last rays of light wash over his back.

He had that dream, again, last night. The one where he's smaller then he is now. But he can't remember being any taller. 

In the dream, he opens the door. Padding silently down the foreign hallway of a house he's never lived in. A door is ajar, the only one that ever is, his father's study. Blue light filtering in through the gaping mouth of the door jam. The door swings open with the barest touch. His heart jumps to his throat and his vision blurs as he sees the crumpled body of his father laying in the middle of the floor. Blood dried to pool beneath once silver hair. 

The dream always ends before he can scream.

His heart hammers in his chest as he enters the house. It was just a dream, he tells himself, just a dream. The light from the kitchen staves off his fears a moment longer.

"I'm home." He calls out, but there's no strength in his voice.

"Welcome back pup!" Sakumo calls from the kitchen, peeking past the archway to greet his son. Kakashi slumps with relief.

Sakumo glances at the clock, looking past Kakashi to the window, he lost track of time cooking dinner.

"Martial arts ran late?"

Kakashi nods as he drops his bag and slips off his shoes.

"Did Obito get any good hits in?" Sakumo wanders back to the kitchen with Kakashi in tow. Kakashi takes a seat at the table and snorts. All apprehension gone, just like the sun.

"As if, Obito has trouble hitting the side of a house."

"But not a shed?" Sakumo laughs and Kakashi turns red at the memory. Obito taking a swing, missing Kakashi, only to run face first into the shed. At least they patched it up as best as two teenagers could, though Sakumo found out anyways. 

They eat and laugh and eat some more.

"Don't worry about the dishes tonight, go wash up and get some sleep. Tomorrow's the first day of summer vacation, are you excited?"

"It's just summer, dad. It'll be like last year or the year before. It's not special." Kakashi shrugs as he deposits his dishes in the sink. He hasn't been excited for anything in awhile. It's hard to muster up a response.

Sakumo snorts. Kakashi had always been so blunt, even as a child.

"Tell you what, we'll make it special! Run by the store after martial arts and I'll make your favorite for dinner! How's that sound?"

"Sounds... Sounds good, dad, thanks." Kakashi gives a weak smile over his shoulder as he ascends the stairs of the modest two story farmhouse.

He closes his door and fishes a book out from between his mattress and bed frame, falling back on the bed and putting his arm behind his head. He quickly finds the place he left off. 

He could get a couple chapters in.

He giggles at the passages and re-reads the lines that make him giddy. His bookcase may be lined with martial arts manuals or technical manuscripts. But he keeps the best books out of sight. A secret pleasure, romance novels. The only escape from the transparent monotony of his day to day life, the only thing he looks forward to.

He falls asleep with the book on his chest. His alarm goes off and he slaps the top with the book, groaning. 

He may have read more then a few chapters. It wasn't his fault, the author just has a way of captivating him. Plus it was the newest book in the series, of course he had to stay up.

He hits the snooze button again. He regrets nothing.

The knock on the door startles him awake, making him jump. The book dropping on his face.

"Hurry up, pup! Or you're gonna be late! You should've left 10 minutes ago! I packed a snack and your lunch!"

Regret washes over him in a great wave as he hurries to throw the covers off, they pool in a messy pile and Kakashi’s foot gets tangled in the sheets as he Kakashi jumps out of bed, falling face first onto the floor. He groans, grabbing his clothes and dressing quickly. 

“What was that sound, are you okay??”  
“My sheets fell!”

He shoves the book into the waist band of his pants and throws open the door, racing down the stairs.

“That sounded really loud, were you still in them??”

Kakashi snatches his duffle bag from the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. Sakumo is waiting at the door, lunch in hand. He grabs that too.

"Thank you! See you when I get home!"

Kakashi pulls his bike from the side of the house and, taking a few practiced steps, throws his leg over the top and begins to ride.

He flies down the deserted country roads, kicking up dust in his wake. The lone telephone poles, that dot the side of the road, fly by. Painted in the colors of sunrise. Bright sheets of metal reflecting the sun and casting long shadows.

He's passing the rice fields when a lone figure, wading among the talk grass, clad in a white sunhat catches his attention. He slows his pace, if only to catch the moment, observing the stranger with careful eyes.

Short brown hair peeks out from under the sunhat to touch exposed shoulders, the white shorts stark against the green backdrop of the water.

He isn't prepared to be caught staring. They lock eyes, the stranger and him, time seems to slow and he can hear the blood start to pound in his ears.

Their expression is quizzical at first, before breaking out into a soft smile, dark eyes softer, tender even, as the breeze blows hair against their cheeks.

Kakashi only manages to offer an awkward twitch of the fingers as a greeting, a stilted wave. Mouth suddenly dry. The stranger gives him a wave back, before turning back again to tend to the field.

Kakashi wants to call out to them. But the words are caught in a throat that's two sizes too tight. Then the moment is gone as the rice fields taper out of sight.

He lets out a dreamy sigh, their face seared into his memory. Something stirs in the recesses of his mind. A warm flutter makes a home in his chest as his heart rate comes back down to something akin to normal.

He faces the road again.

"Oh shit!!"

Just in time to swerve away from a hay truck, the distracted driver too preoccupied with the scenery himself.

Now his heart is pounding for a entirely different reason, his grip on the handle bars tighten as a cold sweat accumulates on his brow.

He makes it into town with not a second to spare, throwing open the dojo doors to everyone standing at attention.

Obito is already there, maybe he didn't cut it as close as he had thought. He makes a hurried bow as he slips from his shoes to join the others.

Obito greets him with a side eye and a quirk of his brow, Kakashi merely shrugs before catching Rin, who offers a smile, he gives her a generous wave.

"You're late, Hatake. I expected as much from Obito, you, however--"  
"Hey! The fuck!"  
"Shut up!"

Kakashi bows, his arms at his side.

"Sorry, Shishou."  
"Well?"  
"Well...?"  
"Come on, out with it. Let's hear the excuse, did you also get caught up helping an elderly woman?" Madara tilts his heard towards Obito, with a click of his tongue, whose sputtering and near foaming at the mouth.

"You know damn well you're the one that told me to help granny Yanli!"

Madara waves him off, turning his attention back to Kakashi.

"Was almost hit by a truck on the way here, Shishou."

Madara blinks, a gasp tears from the crowd, everyone turns to Kakashi to hear the rest before Madara claps to get their attention back. Everyone straightens up and faces forward again.

"Unfortunate. However, more interesting then Obito's excuse, I'll let you off the hook. Everyone go through the kata you learned last week then pair up for sparring."

Obito groans as he assumes the position. Even though it was Madara who sent him on the errand he still had to do push-ups to make up for his tardiness while Kakashi got off scott free because he was almost hit by a bus or whatever. Life was too unfair.

Rin, so full of energy, jumps right in. All her strikes centered as she exhales with each follow through.

Kakashi goes through the motions, mind wandering as he breathes with ease, no movement wasted.

His distracted state of mind lasts through the kata and into the spare with Obito. Matching Obito blow for blow and block for block.

"Pay attention! Don't fuck with me" Obito yells as he throws a particularly vicious kick, Kakashi blocks it with his forearms. He's broken out of his day dreams, if only for a moment, before slipping back under.

It's all white light and soft edges. His mind replying the scene slowly, the details of the sunhats' stitching vivid against dark locks. Those soft eyes are on him again the smile that blooms a fraction later has him transfixed, his breathing hitching as he drops his guard.

"Don't underestimate the power of the Uchiha!" Obito drops low, under the clumsy swing of Kakashi's arm, stepping forward and delivering a punishing blow to Kakashi's solar plexus.

All the air is forced out of his chest, in a wheezing cough. His vision blurs. The strangers face overlays Obito's concerned expression.

"Kakashi!" The stranger seems to cry, though it's Obito under the illusion. His vision momentarily blacks out. He blinks back to reality not a second later.

Obito has him by the shoulders and he's kneeling on the floor, surrounded by his classmates. Though he can hear the faint sound of Madara's half hearted clap off to the side, for Obito's win.

"K-kakashi?! Are you okay?! I didn't mean to hit you that hard! You were supposed to block it!"  
"I-i'm fine..." Kakashi shrugs off Obito's hands.

"Obito, are you...crying?"  
"What?! No! You idiot!" Obito furiously wipes his eyes with the crook of his arm.

"You dropped like a sac of rocks! Your eyes rolled back and I thought I killed you!"  
"As if..."

Obito scrunches up his face as he helps Kakashi up, Rin at his side taking hold of his other arm to steady him.

"I think that's enough for today, is that okay shishou?" Rin looks to Madara who waves her off with a nod.

"I'll go get you some water, Kakashi, don't over do it!" Rin gives a stern look before rushing off to fetch a bottle from the fridge.

"Jesus, Kakashi, what's gotten you so distracted?"  
"It's no one."

Obito is quiet before a mischievous grin spreads across his face, he bumps their shoulders together playfully.

"What."  
"I said "what" not "who". Fess up! Who is it!" Obito starts to look around the dojo, pointing out potential prospects.

"Is it ryoko? Nami? Oh my god it better not be Rin, I'll never forgive you!"  
"It's none of them, Obito, just drop it."  
"Don't tell me...it's a character from one of those gross books..."  
"They aren't gross, they have a very interesting plot and Hitomi has nothing to do with this, leave her out of it."

Obito scoffs and drops it as Rin comes running back, he tries to make a move for the water bottle but Rin holds it out of his reach with a tsk and a wink.

"Sorry, Obito, this one's for Kakashi."

Obito pouts as Kakashi takes the water bottle with a thank you. Rin bumps Obito's shoulder and produces another bottle.

"This one is for you though!" Rin laughs as Obito grins.

"Hey, Kakashi, it's hot out today. Let's all get ice cream since we're done."

Kakashi nods as they exit the dojo with their duffle bags. They make their way to the ice cream stand, on their bikes, and each take a turn ordering. Obito tries to pay for Rin but barely has the change for his own, Kakashi discreetly slips him a couple dollars so that he can treat Rin, who acts like she didn't see anything.

"Shisui gave me some tickets, we should catch that movie that just came out, whaddya say?"

Kakashi, who wasn't paying attention, makes a non-committed hum in reply.

"Well?"  
"Well...what?"  
"The movie, Kakashi! Do you wanna see the movie with us! Man you're such an air head, maybe you really did get hit by that truck." Obito starts checking Kakashi's head for wounds before Kakashi bats his hands away.

"Or maybe I hit you harder then I thought, knocked everything around."  
"Kakashi, are you feeling okay?"  
"Maa, I'm fine, knock it off you two. I can't, I need to go by the store. Dad's making dinner tonight."

Kakashi takes his back from the side of the bench they're sitting on.

"Sakumo is making dinner?! Alright! We'll be there!"  
"Obito, you can't just invite yourself!"

Kakashi waves them off.

"It's fine, I'm sure he'd like to see you. Just don't be late, should be done around 6."  
"I'll bring a dessert!" Rin grins as she finishes her ice cream. Kakashi nods as he mounts his bike and petals to the store.

He takes his time picking out the various items on the list, dropping them in his basket and making his way down the aisles. He pays and leaves the store. 

Riding down the road, he approaches the rice fields. A nervous energy pools in his gut as he picks up his speed.

He sighs, the rice fields is empty. Of course it would be, they wouldn't still be there nearly five hours later. Though dejection sets in his chest anyways.

He can't help but feel disappointed.

He makes it home, dropping his bike against the house and stepping inside.

"I'm back!" 

There's no answer this time. He frowns, the disappointment in his chest giving way to concern. He checks every room in the house. But Sakumo isn't there.

"Dad...?" He calls out, opening the doors and knocking on the bathroom.

"Dad!" Fear shoots up his spine as he throws open the office doors, the window is open but no one is inside.

His heart is in his ears before he hears the dogs yipping from the back field. He shoots out of the house to the back porch and sighs with relief. 

His father is out fixing a fence, he didn't hear him come in. Kakashi jogs up to the far end of the field where his father is. The dogs clamoring for his attention, he pets each one before they mosey off.

"Do you need any help?"  
"Oh! Kakashi! You're home! Welcome back, pup. Sure, hold this post steady. I swear something tried getting in earlier, the dogs were going crazy. They damn near knocked the post down, wire and all!"

Kakashi nods as he holds the post, staring out into the pastures just beyond the property. He wonders what it could've been, coming so close with an unruly pack of dogs just behind a flimsy fence.

"Did you get a chance to go by the store?"

Kakashi wonders if it was the same person as before, if they made a mistake and happened along the fence. He imagines those lips, curled up in a loving smile, trying to calm the dogs and then retreating back with a wave and tender eyes.

"Son?"  
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I was able to. I set everything on the counter before coming out here."

He tries to remember if he just dropped the bags or if he did he infact set them on the counter in his haste.

"Good good, well that should do'er."

Sakumo gives a tug on the fence before standing and dusting off his pants.

"Let's go in and I'll get started."  
"Okay, Obito and Rin said they would come by too.“  
"That's great! The more the merrier!"

They head to the house and Kakashi gives a final look to the pastures before following his dad inside.  
\--  
"Kakashi wasn't paying attention and then WHAM, I got'em and he just dropped!" Obito recalls the incident earlier. Obito sits on one side of the table, Kakashi the other, Sakumo at the head and Rin the opposite.

Sakumo laughs and Kakashi mumbles something with a roll of his eyes.

"Seriously, Kakashi couldn't pay attention to save his life!"  
"He was really distracted today." Rin chimed in from behind her cup.

Kakashi shoots her a look that screams "traitor." She gives him a wink.

"You don't say? Kakashi, you did seem a bit preoccupied when we were fixing the fence. What's on your mind, kiddo?"

"Nothi--"  
"Kakashi's thinking about someone!"

Sakumo looks at Kakashi with a gentle smile.

"Is it Hitomi--"  
"That's who I thought it was! Apparently it's not!"  
"Whose Hitomi?"

Everyone stills, going ramrod straight. A furious blush on their cheeks as Kakashi tries to choke out "No one.".

"Ah, whoever it is! They're giving our Kakashi daydreams! I think it's good you're thinking about someone." Rin nods sagely and Kakashi can still feel his cheeks burning.

"Let's change the subject, Obito almost got put through a wall by Madara today."

Obito gasps and tries kicking Kakashi from under the table.  
—  
The days pass as a hot, monotoned blur for Kakashi. He rides past the rice fields everyday that week hoping for just a glimpse of the stranger whose taken over his every waking moment.

He doesn't know, at this point, if he wants to confess or tell them off. Every day he grows more and more frustrated by their absence. 

He had a dream last night. It was different from the one with his father. 

This time, he finds himself shin deep in murky water. Wading through the fog, there's bodies floating on the surface, arrows and swords lodged in their backs and chests. 

He recognizes some of the faces, he thinks, people he's seen once then never again, just passerby's from the market or around town. 

Others, however, he knows well. There's Obito's little cousin, that he babysat a couple summers ago, though his dim eyes are red and he's dressed in something akin to a kimono. 

There's the little cousins best friend, laying face down, next to him. Their hands clasped loosely together. Orange tracksuit stark against the black water as it laps at the red swirling symbol stitched to the back of his jacket. 

The third is farther away, though he can just barely make out the pink hair of a girl he knew tagged along with the two boys.

A strange dread clings to him like a second skin.

He's clad in odd uniform. A grey vest, that exposes his shoulders and black pants with a white band tied around his thigh. He's welding a feudal era knife, he thinks it's called a kunai. It's the only name that comes to mind.

His hands, or rather the gloves, are stained with blood. So is the kunai. He makes his way through the fog, there's a light somewhere up ahead. Someone standing just out of sight, he can't make out their features. The fog gives way to summer haze, the sky a vivid blue with the white of clouds cutting across.

The stranger is standing there, a cat mask strapped to the side of the sunhat, looking away from him, like the first time. Only to turn to him slowly, the breeze picks up. Stirring the water around his legs.

"Kakashi! Have you been looking for me?" The voice is distorted, his mind trying to compensate for never hearing them speak. It's tethering in and out like a disrupted radio signal. 

Kakashi tried to reply, the dream lagging. Weighing him down as he tried to run forward. 

The stranger opens their arms to him, that smile shining like the summer sun that burns above.

The dream cuts out, just before their can fingers touch.

He's never felt so many emotions swirling around inside, has never been so caught up on someone else before. 

Even trying to get lost in his books has him superimposing the stranger into them. 

He decides to try again, he drops his bike with a scowl and heads down a path near the rice fields. He isn't looking for them, he doubts he'd be able to find them if he was. 

He just wants to find a place to read. But what would he even say if he did find them? It's not like he could just tell them he's been thinking about them non-stop and when he pictures their face his heart nearly drops out his ass. 

He scrubs an agitated hand over his face, not looking where he's going when he trips, sprawling into the dirt.

"O-oh I'm sorry! Are you okay?" 

Kakashi blinks for a moment, his face in the dirt and his book somewhere off to the side. He gets up quickly, turning around but there's no one in front of him. 

He looks down and he can feel heat shoot up to settle in his cheeks. They're not wearing their sunhat today and Kakashi thinks he likes it better like this, he can see how the wind blows their bangs around gently. His hands tremble as he tries to choke out a response. 

His gaze darts from their eyes, still as soft as he remembers, to their lips. They're still talking to him but he can't hear anything over the blood pounding in his ears.

"Did you hit your head? Here sit down." The stranger pulls Kakashi down to his knees and he goes willingly. They produce a cloth from the pocket of their shorts and starts to dab the dirt from his cheeks. Kakashi gently takes their wrist to stop them.

He can't stand the contact, he thinks he'll combust on the spot or his heart would surely be driven out of chest with it's excessive hammering. His hand shakes, toggling their wrist and making the cloth sway.

His brain in overdrive, trying to formulate words, string together any coherent sentence. A jumbled mess of "I'm really fucking sorry!" and "are you okay?" Racks around his mind as he tries to spit out the words. 

Though in his blind panic he ends up with a half shout of both.

"Are you really fucking sorry?!"

The stranger snatches their wrist away, eyes wide and something akin to fear flashing through them. They nod before bowing quickly, hands in front, body stiff, though trembling.

"Y-yes! I am! Please forgive me!"

Kakashi slaps his hands over his mouth with an audible gasp, the stranger dares not pick themselves up from the dirt.

"N-no! No! That's not what I meant to say! I-I- I was trying to ask if you were okay! It's my fault, I tripped over you!"

They raise their head before taking a deep breath and righting themselves in a sitting position, the ghost of a smile comes to their face and Kakashi's relieved to see there's no fear in those eyes.

"No, I shouldn't have been...in the middle of the path like that, please don't blame yourself."  
"No it's not! I was distracted--when I saw you in the rice fields, I was distracted then too and was almost hit by a truck!"

Hurt settles into their face, lower lip worrying between their teeth as they fold their hands over their lap.

"Ah, I see…Please forgive me. I-I've already caused you so much trouble." Their eyes find a spot to focus on, somewhere between the rocks and grass.

Kakashi thinks death would be too merciful to ask for. Everything out of his mouth so far has been nothing but insults bordering on accusations. He can feel the gap between them widening by the second.

"I shouldn't have been staring at yo-" Kakashi's jaw clicks shut, just how much of a fool will he make himself out to be.

"What were you...doing here anyways...?"  
"Gathering some ingredients for dinner..."

Kakashi looks around, an over turned basket to his right catches his eye and he shifts his weight. He hears something crunch under his palms. Alarmed he picks it up, inspects the remnants of what he thinks are supposed to be herbs and mushrooms. 

He jumps to his feet to survey the damage.

There's nothing left of the baskets overturned contents.

"Shit!" He mutters, trying to find at least a sole survivor.

"Look-- I'm really sorry let me help you gather more, um?" He offers a hand and the stranger hesitates for only a moment before taking it, Kakashi pulls them up.

"I don't want to burden you. Oh, I'm..." They look to the side with a pause, as if trying to remember something before their eyes settle back on Kakashi, "Yamato. I'm Yamato. What's...your name?"

"Yamato..." Kakashi whispers, letting the name roll syllables roll over his tongue, absentmindedly.

"What?"

Kakashi snaps out of his daze and turns his attention back to Yamato.

"Nothing! I'm Kakashi, Kakashi Hatake. And I want to! I wouldn't have offered if I didn't." Kakashi puts a reassuring hand on Yamato's shoulder, he goes stiff if only for a moment.

"Sorry that...that was too casual." Kakashi stammers, dropping his hand and picking up the basket to give back to Yamato.

Yamato smiles at the basket, it's soft and small but it makes Kakashi's heart jump against his ribs.

"No...no it was...it was okay. If you want to help, I won't protest. Let's go, shall we?"

Kakashi nods dumbly at Yamato's acceptance. He doesn't know what to do next. He didn't think he'd get this far.

"Oh...you're book. You must’ve dropped it when you fell." Yamato reached for it, barely touching it before it's snatched out from under his hand.

"T-thanks!" Kakashi pockets the book quickly enough that it has Yamato confused, as if he wasn’t supposed to touch, wringing his hands gently on the handle of the basket.

"Lead the way?" Kakashi doesn't think he can take anymore embarrassment at this point. 

He might actually die.

"O-of course, this way." Yamato begins to walk and Kakashi trots after.

"Do you...come out here often? You seem to know your way around pretty well."  
"I've come here everyday since I arrived."  
"Arrived? Did you just move here?"

Yamato goes quiet for a moment but nods.

"A few days before summer, I haven't been here long..."  
"Where do you live? Is it near the rice fields?"  
"I-I-" Yamato shifts uncomfortably and Kakashi worries he may have overstepped a boundary.

"Near there, yes." Yamato settled on and Kakashi doesn't pry.

They walk in silence for awhile, it isn't strained but Kakashi wants to know more. Wants to know every single detail about Yamato.

"Look, here's a good spot!" Yamato chirps, setting his basket down and picking at the stalks of grass. Kakashi does his best to imitate what Yamato is doing but he has no idea what he's looking for.

"Is...this it?" Kakashi is hesitate, he's never been bad at anything in his life but right now he feels lost.

Yamato turns, blinks, then laughs. 

Kakashi wilts.

"Ah, no, Kakashi, that's just a weed. Here I'll show you."

He moves closer to Kakashi, their knees touching as he crouched down. Yamato is talking again, comparing what's in Kakashi's hand and what's in his own. He gently takes Kakashi's hand, who lets the weed drop, and maneuvers it over a patch of herbs.

Kakashi’s eyes drift to their hands, Yamato’s fingers laid over his knuckles as he guides Kakashi. They fit together so well, Kakashi thinks, his skin tingles at the contact and his mind starts to wander. What would it be like to flip his palm over so he could hold it fully, would his hand be calloused like his own or softer, he muses over the possibilities. 

"These are the ones you want, see how the top of the buds are different? That's an auxiliary bud scar there." Yamato explains the various parts of the plant but Kakashi can only focus on how the light is hitting his eyes and hair, how long his lashes are and how his lips shine in the sun.

"-ashi?"

Kakashi blinks and Yamato raises an eyebrow.

"...ah, yes?"  
"Were you listening?"  
"Mhm, of course."  
"What did I just say then?" Yamato smugly sits back on his ankles, watching Kakashi closely, twirling the herb in his fingers.

"You just said "were you listening?", didn't you?" Kakashi laughs as Yamato gaps at him, caught off guard by the nonchalance of the reply.

"Y-you weren't paying attention at all!" Yamato laughs and gives Kakashi a small push, the touch has Kakashi seeing stars.

"You just didn't ask the right question, try again." Kakashi teases, feeling more relaxed, the butterflies settling into a flutter instead of a swarm. He pushes Yamato back gently.

"Oh? Okay then, we're you too busy staring again?" Yamato flashes Kakashi a mock smile and pushes him again as Kakashi sputters.

Kakashi goes to push him again but Yamato pulls away, causing Kakashi to fall on top of him, the herbs they were holding go flying as Kakashi plants his hands on either side of Yamato's head. 

They're nearly face to face. Yamato looks surprised at first, scared even before he relaxes.

Kakashi's eyes widen as Yamato relaxes under him. He can see the delicate, defined, curve of his eyes clearly and the way his lips part subtly. There's a small bruise just under his jaw, Kakashi gently runs a finger over it.

"Did...this happen when I tripped over you earlier...?" Kakashi breathes out and Yamato stiffens, eyes cutting to the side.

"I-it's getting late, Kakashi, I should go." Yamato deflects with practiced ease, shifting his weight uncomfortably under Kakashi's gaze.

"O-oh yeah, right, right." Kakashi gets up in a hurry, mentally berating himself for ruining the moment, extending a hand which Yamato takes. Grateful the conversation had fallen away from the subject of his appearance.

"I'll see you...around?" Yamato gathers the forgotten herbs, dropping them in his basket as he pulls away, feigning a smile.

"Of course..." There's no strength in Kakashi's reply. Throat dry and clinging to the hope they’ll run into each other again. But a strange dread creeps up his spine.

—  
Yamato said...they would see each other around, but the days pass, time runs away. He meets with Obito and Rin now and again, even in their company he feels strangely alone. 

But what's so wrong with being all alone? Alone is the only way he's ever known.

He's peddling down a different road, he needed to clear his head, needed a distraction. How could he be so attached to someone he’s only met once. Why does the thought of never seeing Yamato again make his heart ache and his stomach twist. There was only a couple weeks left of summer, why did he feel the loss so acutely. He pedals harder. Trying to escape these thoughts, leave these feelings behind. 

He comes up over a hill, the long stretch of lonely road sprawling out before him. Then, he sees him. His white sun hat glowing like a beacon. The object of his thoughts, the progenitor of these unrestrained feelings. Yamato’s walking alone, treading the careful line between dirt and grass. The basket, his faithful companion, is situated under his arm, filled to the brim with flowers. Bright yellows and blues flowing over the wicker lip. 

Kakashi’s eyes widen as he grips the handle bars, he won’t lose this chance. His nerves spark with electricity as he closes the distance. He comes to a rolling stop at Yamato’s side. 

“Yamato? What’re you doing all the way out here?”

Yamato flinches away, broken out of his own daydreams by Kakashi’s sudden appearance. He turns swiftly, eyes hard before they soften considerably. 

“O-oh! Kakashi!” Yamato gives him a smile and Kakashi has to force himself not to stare.

“I’m….” Yamato looks around, eyebrows pinched together as he tries to make sense of his surroundings.

“I’m…lost.”

Kakashi blinks at the confession, there’s nothing around here for miles. It’s all open fields and empty pastures.

“You were…collecting flowers?”

Yamato turns a furious shade of red, Kakashi has a feeling it’s not because of prolonged sun exposure, he nods in reply.

“Yes…I just…I really like-I really like flowers! I followed some marked paths but ended up taking a detour…I’m not really sure what road this is…or where it goes…”

Yamato’s knees and hands are stained with grass and dirt, he’s been out here for some time.

“Let me give you a ride!” Kakashi blurts out, leaning over his handle bars. Yamato startles at the sudden outburst, he shyly tucks a lock of hair behind his ear.

“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah I could…I could take you home…? or…whenever you want to go. Though I have to run some errands first, if you don’t mind coming to the store with me?”

Yamato’s eyes cut to the side with the mention of home, but he brightens again a smile breaking out on his face with the offer.

“I don’t mind!” He chirps, rolling on the balls of his heels.

Kakashi’s heart flutters with a smile of his own, he fumbles with the bike for a moment in his excitement. 

“H-Here, get on the back okay?”

Yamato nods as he swings his leg over the back of the bike, settling down on the small metal frame over the back wheel, he loops his arms around Kakashi’s chest and peeks over his shoulder.

“Like this?”

Kakashi feels his cheeks burn, he chokes out a “That’s fine.” as he pushes off the ground. Kakashi watches Yamato from his peripherals, the shy smile never leaving Yamato’s face as he pushes his chest against Kakashi’s back.

They ride into town with relative ease, Kakashi taking lefts and rights seemingly at random while Yamato stares at the scenery, they pull up in front of the towns only supermarket. A small, elongated building with chipping plaster, one of the neon letters burned out above the doors.

Kakashi dismounts, walking the bike, with Tenzo still on it, to the bike rail. He hooks the front tire over the metal and gives it a tug to keep it in place.

“Are you coming down?” Kakashi teases, his voice smug. Yamato’s eyes widen as he hops off, distracted with his surroundings, his foot catches the chain and he stumbles forward. Kakashi catches him effortlessly, holding him to his chest.

“Careful.” Kakashi snorts, the contact radiating sparks.  
“S-sorry!” Yamato sheepishly breathes against his chest before pulling back, holding the basket under his arm protectively.

“It’s okay. Here, hold onto me while I get your foot, okay?”

Yamato nods, clutching at the fabric of Kakashi’s shirt. Kakashi leans over, holding Yamato’s waist with one hand while he gently takes his ankle and guides his foot over the chain with the other. At this angle, Kakashi can catch faint bruises, they look old, along his shins, traveling up to the meat of his thigh.

“Uh, Kakashi?” Yamato cranes his head to see what’s taking him so long, he can feel his foot’s free but Kakashi still has a hold on his ankle.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry.” Kakashi let’s him go and holds him upright. Kakashi does a quick once over, taking stock of Yamato. Nothing seems to be out of place. There’s no more bruising old or new on the skin that’s exposed. Yamato catches him staring, glancing to the sides to avoid Kakashi’s eyes.

“Shall we? I’ve never been in here before, you’re going to have to lead the way.”  
“What? This is the only supermarket in town, you seriously haven’t come here before?”

Yamato shakes his head with a lopsided smile, shrugging his shoulders.

“I’m usually too busy ambushing people on the trails, remember?” Yamato winks and Kakashi snorts.

Kakashi had been agonizing over that meeting for days, replaying different scenarios over and over. What he could have done differently, what he should have said, how he could’ve gotten Yamato to spend more time with him. But he had messed it up, let his nerves get in the way. He’s doing it again, too caught up in his thoughts to notice Yamato is talking to him again.

“Mhm?”  
“I-I said I really wasn’t ambushing people…It was an accident.”  
“Oh, you really expect me to believe that? After you caught me so effortlessly? surely you’ve had some practice.”

Yamato’s concern bleeds into confusion then gives way to a grin.

“You had me…kinda scared for a second there, you made this face!” Yamato mimics Kakashi’s expression. His eye’s hardening and his jaw setting in a tight line, glowering at nothing in particular. Kakashi laughs.

“Is that really the face I made? no wonder you were so worried. Ah, sorry, sorry, come on, let’s go in.”

Kakashi and Yamato walk into the small supermarket, Kakashi grabs a plastic basket from the queue line, a long building with registers at the front and pallets of produce taking over the majority of the floor.

Yamato’s eyes light up when he sees the vegetables, he looks at Kakashi for approval.

“You want to go over there?”

Yamato nods, standing on his tiptoes to see over the mountainous arrangement of watermelons. Kakashi places a hand on his shoulder and gently guides him through the produce department. Yamato’s eyes shine as he reaches for a display of tomatoes. His hand stills, hovering just above them.

“You can touch them, you know, It’s okay to pick them up.”

Kakashi reaches past him, snatching one off the top and dropping it in Yamato’s hands. Yamato turns it over with fascination, the one’s he finds are never so red.

“See? Did you think you were gonna get in trouble or something?” Kakashi says the last part with a laugh but clears his throat when he see’s the tension mounting in Yamato’s shoulders.

“Maa, look this one is even bigger, let’s buy it.” Kakashi picks up another tomato and dangles it by the stem in front of Yamato’s face. Yamato tracks the fruit with wide eyes, lips slightly parted as Kakashi grins. Yamato relaxes and gives Kakashi his own smile, his teeth peeking out between his lips. Kakashi hums as he places both tomatoes in the basket. They peruse around the department, adding to their basket as they go. 

“Kakashi, it’s really big…!”

Kakashi’s mind screeches to a halt and he almost trips over his own feet. Yamato shouldn’t say that, not something like that in combination with his name. He struggles to compose himself as he looks over to Yamato whose holding up an eggplant. It glistens dark purple under the fluorescents. 

“Maa, yeah, those…those can get really big. Have you had one before?”  
“No, I’ve never had one, it looks difficult. How do you eat it, like this?”

Yamato holds the eggplant up in front of him, cocking his head to the side trying to determine the best angle to be able to take a bite.

Kakashi chokes as he hurries to his side, gently taking it away from him and placing it in the basket, Yamato pulls a face.

“N-no. You need to cut them up, they’re too big to eat…like that…”  
“Are the bigger ones better?”  
Kakashi has to take a deep breathe, Yamato has no idea what he’s doing saying things like that.

“T-They just make bigger portions, the size doesn’t matter too much.” Kakashi sweats.

Yamato nods as if what Kakashi said had some profound impact on him.

“Let’s go over here, okay?” Kakashi starts heading to the dry goods. Yamato stays where he’s at for a moment, admiring Kakashi’s back with a tender smile, adoration in his eyes as he exhales a small sigh. Yamato’s eyes drift down to the basket of flowers, each one painstakingly chosen, his emotion, now weighing heavy in his arms.

Because what could someone like him possible give Kakashi? Even a hundred thousand flowers wouldn’t suffice, Yamato thinks. Charming to look at, though essentially useless. A suitable metaphor for himself. But he doesn’t even posses the qualities of the former. He knows he’s only worth his weight in potting soil. 

How offended Kakashi would be, if he knew about these unsightly feelings. Feelings that welled up in Yamato since seeing him for the first time.  
He had to turn away then, the excitement of being acknowledged threatening to spill over. Then, when Kakashi had literally stumbled into him, he thought he had another chance. Oh, how he agonized over that meeting, how he missed his chance, how he cut it short due to his own, pathetic, insecurities.

“Are you coming?” Kakashi tilts his head back over his shoulder, already some distance away, before turning to face him fully.

Yamato’s head snaps up at the sound of Kakashi’s voice. Broken out of his self depreciation, he breaks into a sprint to catch up.

“Yes! thank you for waiting for me!” Yamato beams, he would never miss another chance to be by his side. Kakashi can feel something in his chest tighten.

They walk through the aisle, all manner of dried fruits and nuts line the shelves. Yamato is scrutinizing each bag so intensely Kakashi has to stop himself from cooing. Yamato’s eyes brighten when he catches sight of a bag of walnuts, he carefully thumbs over the packaging.

“Do you like those?”  
“Yes…they’re my favorite. They’re hard to come by in this area, I don’t find too many of them.”

Kakashi, seeing his chance, doesn’t hesitate. His voice is surprisingly steady to his own ears.

“Get them.”  
“Wha-Kakashi, I don’t…have any mone–On me, I don’t have any money on me!” Yamato takes a step back from the shelf with his hands up in surrender.

“Mhm, well, I guess I’ll just have to get a bag and eat them all by myself….if you don’t want any?” Kakashi raises a mischievous eyebrow and Yamato gaps at him.  
“I-I do want some?”  
“Great, Let’s get two.” Kakashi pulls two bags from the shelf, dropping one in the basket and pushing the other into Yamato’s hands with a wink. Yamato can’t suppress the giddy smile that plays across his face, he looks away in case the full force of his emotion shines through. 

“Thank you, Kakashi.” Yamato can’t suppress the giddy smile that plays across his face. He shyly looks away in case the full force of his emotion shines through. 

Kakashi’s face heats up, he’s made Yamato so happy with such a small gesture, he can’t help but to feel as happy as Yamato maybe even happier.

Maybe he hasn’t missed his chance after all.

They travel over the hills, once more, gaining speed with each decline, they come over the top of the biggest one the town has to offer. Kakashi tips the bike down as they pick up speed.

Yamato starts laughing and Kakashi cranes his neck to look up.

“It’s like we’re flying!” Yamato grips Kakashi’s shoulders with one hand as he stands, the other keeping his sun hat in place, his hair blowing every which way in the wind and Kakashi is transfixed, the bike chain rattling as he takes his feet off the pedals, allowing gravity to do the work.

Yamato smiles down on Kakashi, the sun like a halo above. Yamato’s laughter is infectious and Kakashi finds himself laughing too. His stomach somewhere close to his heart as they continue their rapid descent. Kakashi can’t tear his eyes from the sight. 

“Kakashi! The road!”

Kakashi’s attention snaps back to the road, the blaring horn of a pickup fills his senses. He wretches the bike to the side and Yamato drops down to bury his face in Kakashi’s neck. He can hear the sound of Yamato’s breath hitching against the shell of his ear, the edge of the sunhat scratching the back of his neck. The truck shoots past them and Kakashi’s heart settles back into place before the front tire catches the lip of a hole. Pitching them off balance and sending them tumbling down the slope of the hill.

Kakashi instinctively throws his arm out to catch Yamato, pulling him flush against his chest as they roll. Kakashi’s grip slips at the last moment and they land side by side on their backs, their shoulders just touching.

Kakashi blinks the stars back from his vision as he sits up, Yamato’s laying dazed at his side.

“Are you okay? Yamato!” Kakashi shuffles closer, cupping Yamato’s face in his hands before Yamato breaks out into a laughing fit as he sits up, there’s twigs and grass in his hair, the hat lost somewhere along the way.

“That was a close one! well,” Yamato looks at the at the shopping bags, contents sprawled out haphazardly and his basket somewhere behind them. petals and stems strewn about in disarray. The bike wheels turned up, to face the sky, in a lazy spin a few feet away, “For us…anyways.”

Kakashi breathes a sigh of relief, the groceries don’t matter to him. Then he eyes the sheer multitude of flowers, there must’ve been several dozens, he can’t even name them all. Bruising lilacs, sunflowers, and forget-me-not’s stamped into the earth. He feels his stomach twist. He’s made such a mess of things. There’s no way Yamato, despite his laughter, isn’t upset.

“Your flowers…I’m sorry the–”  
“Hey, looks like you saved a few!” Yamato pulls a stray buttercup from Kakashi’s hair, twirling it around with a smile.

“The yellow really brings out your hair, I think it looks the best like this…” Yamato tucks the buttercup behind Kakashi’s ear, humming as he arranges the rest left in Kakashi’s hair. Kakashi tracks his hands with mournful eyes, ashamed of what he’s done. When it comes to Yamato he’s always messing up, doing and saying the wrong thing. He just wants him to be happy.

“There, now it looks even better!” Yamato smiles from his position, hovering just above Kakashi. He glances down at him, trying to decipher Kakashi’s sullen expression.

“But what about the rest?” Kakashi breathes, refusing to look Yamato in the eyes.

“You spent so much time getting them, you must have been out here for hours and I-I…I was careless and I ruined them. All your effort and–”  
“The flowers don’t matter, Kakashi, not really anyways. There’s fields full of them,” Yamato makes a wide sweep with his hand, showcasing the patches that dot the landscape.

“There’s so, so, many. So replaceable.” Yamato picks one of the crushed lilacs up, smoothing the petals between his fingers, the fine, pale purple, pigment stains the tips of them, “They’re pretty but they don’t mean anything to me. I don’t care about these,” Yamato looks at Kakashi, his eyes softening with a tender smile.

“I care about you.” Yamato softly confesses as he rises to his feet. Looking out over the seemingly endless expanse of fields that stretch out before. No houses, no people, no distractions. Just the two of them.

Kakashi feels his chest seize. He inhales sharply through his nose as his heart kicks into his throat. His hands tremble, curling into tight fists at his sides.

“Today was…a good day.” Yamato declares, he’s had the time of his life in just a few short hours.  
“Everyday could be a good day, if you wanted it to be.”

Yamato’s eyes widen a fraction before settling down to stare at the ground. He nods in reply, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. Kakashi’s words pulling the moment out from under him. How could he ever think this could end differently.

“Ah, yes…I suppose that’s a good way…to look at things.” Yamato’s voice is soft, almost distant as the wind blows. 

Kakashi shoots up from his position on the ground, grabbing Yamato’s hand and pulling, making him stumble to face him.

“With me!” Kakashi half yells, forciong the words out of his throat. Yamato looks taken aback by sudden volume, alarmed for the barest moment, his wide eyes settling on their intertwined hands.

“Everyday could be a good day! with me! if you wanted!”  
“Ka..Kakashi…”

Kakashi’s heart is a torrential, violent, pulse. Racking against his throat and ribs, traveling up to his ears. He can’t get enough air suddenly, his jaw set in a tight line. He thinks his hands are shaking.

Yamato’s eyes shine wetly as he blinks, swallowing a lump that’s formed in his throat. His eyes are rapidly darting across Kakashi’s face, over come with emotion.

Kakashi doesn’t back down, doesn’t let his grip on Yamato’s hand slacken. Yamato has to know, has to know how he feels and he needs to know now. There’s no more time for hesitation. 

“I-I can’t apologize for how I fee–”

Kakashi stumbles as Yamato collides with his chest, bringing his arms around his waist to press his face into Kakashi’s chest.

“I’m…so happy…!” Yamato laughs, grinning against Kakashi. Even if a tear escapes, he doesn’t notice.

Kakashi holds him, or Yamato is holding him, keeping them upright before they collapse on shaking legs. Yamato in Kakashi’s lap, the wind blowing the remnants of the petals around them in a whirl wind. 

“I’m happy…when I’m with you. When I saw you in the rice fields the first time…I just couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Kakashi confesses, twirling a piece of Yamato’s hair between his fingers. Yamato watches him with soft eyes as he strokes Kakashi’s cheek.

“I had a dream about you, I usually don’t have…good dreams. But it was different,” Kakashi shyly looks to the side before tracing Yamato’s lips with his thumb,“Do you think…that’s weird?” Kakashi asks softly, suddenly unsure even with Yamato tenderly caressing his cheek.

Yamato hummed to himself, happy Kakashi was thinking about him at all.

“No, I don’t think it’s weird…I wanted to give you those flowers, I didn’t think they would be enough though. But I did, give them to you, in a way, don’t you think?” Yamato’s finger tip grazes thge buttercup tucked behind Kakashi’s ear.

“Giving so many flowers to someone I had only met once, is that….weird to you?”

Kakashi thought for a moment and the pause was enough to make Yamato stiffen.

“No, how could a gift like that ever be anything but worthwhile? I know how much they mean to you, even if I didn’t…I think even this one is more then enough.”

Yamato’s breathe catches in his chest, hitching at the sight of Kakashi’s upturned eyes, geniune happiness radiating out to consume him. 

“Would it…be to casual to kiss you now?”  
“N-no, that…that would be okay.”

Kakashi surges up, a hand behind Yamato’s haead as he captures his lips. Yamato hesitates for a moment before cupping Kakashi’s cheeks in his hands to kiss him back.

The kiss is slow at first, Kakashi thinks he’s read this passage before, buried somewhere between the pages of his beloved novels. But this scene, this moment, is better then any line in a book. There’s something, someone more precious to look foward to now. 

No longer content with being alone, he can’t survive alone again. But now he doesn’t have to, he realizes, he never has to be alone again.

They pull away after some time, Yamato rests his forehead against Kakashi’s. Kakashi grins and kisses him again. With the sun sailing through the sky, they spend what feels like hours in each other’s arms. Nothing else matters.

“I saved these…” Yamato produces the bag of walnuts from earlier, a little worse for wear but still intact.

“Do you want to share?”  
“Will you feed me?”  
“O-of course…!”

They lay in the field, hands intertwined as they share the bag between them as the sun sets somewhere in the distance. It seems like every star agreed to meet over their heads tonight. He slides his eyes over to Yamato. The light collects in Yamato’s eyes, turns and reflects and jumps into Kakashi’s. 

He can’t tear his eyes away, he’s a slave to the sight.

“-shi?”  
“Mhm?”  
“What….are you thinking about?” Yamato turns over on his side, arms tucked underneath his head as he faces Kakashi.

“Ah, just…just how happy I am.” Kakashi pulls Yamato closer to him, his chin resting on Yamato’s head.

Yamato laces their fingers together as he buries his head further against Kakashi’s chest.

“You…could always be happy….with me, you could always be happy with me, if you wanted.”  
“I think I’ll always be.”


End file.
